MAP26: The Savage Abyss (Jenesis)

MAP26: The Savage Abyss is the twenty-sixth map of Jenesis. It was designed by James Paddock (Jimmy) and uses the music track "Song in the Key of TNT," composed by Jamie Robertson. The par time is 4:30.

Essentials
Take the super shotgun then head up the steps to a lava river that contains lost souls - you need to drop into the river, look west to kill one or two revenants then step into the lavafall they emerged from to find a berserk pack and a skull switch that will raise two platforms behind you. Use the ladder next to the platforms to climb out, step across the platforms to reach the north side and dispatch some imps before following the path east to some demons who are guarding another skull switch. Press the switch then head west to see that a wall has lowered, revealing an area with more imps and revenants guarding a shotgun and a plasma gun. Press the lion switch on the east wall to lower some bars behind you, take the nearby radiation shielding suit then drop down those bars to a lava cave holding up to ten revenants (and an arch-vile on Hurt Me Plenty (HMP) skill level or higher). Press the lion switch at the north-west end to open the bars to the center chamber, go inside it (the bars will close behind you) to get a supercharge then press the skull switch - which is needed to raise a bridge later in the map - to open two compartments with barons of Hell (or more arch-viles on HMP or higher). Quickly kill them then look through the north and south windows to see two eye switches, shoot both of them to reopen the bars then head east to a teleporter leading back to the surface.

Go back to the platforms near the start then follow the path north-west to a crypt entrance guarded by demons. Take the pprocket launcher]] and go inside the crypt to kill some imps, demons and mutants (plus two knights on Ultra-Violence (UV) and Nightmare (NM)), then press the button at the north end to go down to a Spirit World-esque cave with imps and revenants. Go to the south-west corner of the cave to find a wooden pillar with a skull switch, press it to open a nearby door for a few seconds then run north past a lava pool to find that door; you may want to kill the arch-vile waiting behind the door first, then go back to the switch and open the door again. Go through the door to drop into a cavern with a chaingun and more revenants, then press the blue skull button in the north-west corner to open the four pentagram blocks and reveal arch-viles. Quickly run to the stairs that are revealed in the north wall to get cover from their attacks, then run off the top of the stairs to land on the blue skull key.

Go back to the lift that took you into the Spirit World cave and press the nearby lion switch to lower a teleporter, which will take you back to the crypt entrance. Head south and look to your right for a now-open doorway, then drop down the hole behind it to land in a hallway with demons (plus knights on UV and NM), then open the door at the other end to find a BFG9000 at the bottom of a spiral staircase - there are numerous revenants blocking your way up so use the metal blocks as cover whenever possible, especially when you reach the south side as one or two arch-viles will appear at the top when you get to that point. When you collect the yellow skull key on the top step, the west wall will open to reveal a pack of cacodemons, so quickly head back to the bottom step and go through the door then turn right to see a teleporter leading back to the crypt entrance.

Follow the path south and east until you return to the area east of the start, where you pressed the second skull switch - an eye switch has been revealed here, which will raise some metal poles and allow you to step over the lava pit to the next ledge. Turn left to dispose of some imps, demons and revenants, climb up the wooden steps to a door and kill some mutants waiting behind it before following the passage to another door. Go through to a two-tiered room and kill the knights on the upper level, go down the steps to find mutants and a baron defending a megasphere (taking it will bring in an arch-vile) then go up a second set of steps to find another door leading outside. Kill any waiting imps and mancubi then drop into the lava below (which holds more mancubi on UV and NM) and head up the steps on the west side to find another door - before opening it, go past it to a gargoyle switch that will allow you to raise another bridge later on. Now open the door and kill some waiting imps, then go down the steps and turn left to see the red skull key - when you approach it revenants will appear on the coffins on either side, and an arch-vile will teleport behind you.

Retrace your steps back to the main path, noting the supercharge that has been revealed at the entrance to the two-tiered room - a baron will teleport behind you when you collect it. Back on the path, look east to see another eye switch and press it to raise some poles over the next trench blocking your progress, then step across and turn right to see a massive pit that is guarded by mancubi and lost souls along with one to three cyberdemons on the east side. Press the three satyr switches on your side - which require all three keys - to raise some platforms then step across to find a supercharge, megaarmor and energy cell packs that you can use to clear out the cyberdemons. Open the door ahead and kill some demons and shotgun guys/chaingunners, as well as revenants that appear on the coffins, then press all six lion and gargoyle switches on the east walls to open the exit lift. Take the megasphere and backpack on the lift then press the button to lower it, ending the level automatically after a few seconds.

Other points of interest
Lower the fire wall south of the red key to find a texture with the following caption: R.I.P - "Stumpy" Thing 227 2010-2011. This is an inside joke between Jimmy and his brother, honoring one stalagmite that would serve as cover from mancubus fireballs and was removed in a 2011 edit to the map.

Secrets

 * 1) Head into the lava at the start, then head all the way to the right to the supercharge. Quickly run back west and enter the opening to the north before it closes to get health bonuses and a backpack. (sector 691)
 * 2) After making the jump to the blue key, return to the previous cavern and go back to the switch used to reach the blue key cavern. There will be some steps leading up to a supercharge and a backpack. (sector 690)
 * 3) Once you use the blue key switch, get back outside with the nearby teleporter and then head into the new opening leading westward. There are two satyr switches near the next door. Use the one on the right to find a megasphere in one of the nearby alcoves. (sector 677)

Current records
The records for the map at the Doom Speed Demo Archive are:

The data was last verified in its entirety on April 3, 2022.

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level:

Trivia

 * This level was part of the original release of Jenesis, where it occupied the MAP10 slot. It was moved to MAP18 in Part 2, and to MAP26 in Part 3.